as fun as a tree…

Japan

One more work day and then I’m on leave for nearly a whole month! 😀 My anticipation for this trip has gone through some ups and downs in the last month or so. There was a moment during last week where I felt the new job “honeymoon” was over and I wanted to activate escape mode ASAP! Thankfully, I quickly had solutions and mega support on hand to reduce the pressure and seriously, at the end of the day, even with that hugely significant particular issue occurring, the stress it caused was way less than back at my usual workplace.

As the holiday gets closer and more and more plans are laid down, the excitement is on the up.

Just got to finish up this one more day; really hoping to leave early!

I’m not going to get around to completing the usual Japanese wishlist post this time. Not really due to prior lack of time, but maybe lack of personal interest! Don’t get me wrong, there will still be haulage, but at the end of the day I’m really feeling that I have way too much stuff to go through first.

Usually a big aspect of the Japan holiday is the excitement of gathering up a beauty wishlist. This time, I seem to be less enthusiastic. I think partially it’s because the last time I went was not very long (a year ago) and the last time, I hauled big! Combined with purchases, freebies and competition wins in Melbourne, I still have a more than an ample stash. Honestly, I could probably survive on not buying any beauty products for at least two years! 😳

However, the greed in me means I will still definitely be buying beauty stuff this time, but my list will be smaller. I do have a wishlist post in draft, but I don’t know if I’ll end up finishing and posting it.

There’s a weird part of me that feels that I’m less looking forward to this trip than usual. We have almost finalised itinerary, so I now know where we will be going. Some places will be revisits of cities I have been to previously, so in some respects maybe it feels less exciting? However, I do believe I will be looking out for different aspects compared to previous visits.

I think another large part is change in my work pressures. For so long, I’ve felt that I’ve been under phenomenal pressure at work, that my holidays were a much needed respite from the stress of work. It’s not like I don’t want to go on holiday, but in some weird way, maybe I feel like I don’t need it as much? Sometimes, holidays create a sense of being able to abandon all responsibilities and when you are snowed under with a million things coming at you; behind you, above you, besides you, it’d just made me want to runaway from it all! There have been times during previous holidays where I have been struck by a gripping anxiety dread at the thought of returning to work. It’s not healthy to feel like that and even thinking back to those moments causes a resurgence of pain to my body 😦 Work issues are another story and probably something I prefer not to elaborate on my blog. It is something I really need to have a good long think about though.

This will also be my sixth trip to Japan. Am I getting bored of it? No! I will continue to re-visit often, but I do also want to visit other countries as well. To me, Japan is such an ideal place to holiday. If I didn’t have to work for a living, I would definitely consider moving there for a short period.

Next year will be my 6th trip there! It’s a place I don’t think I will ever want to stop returning. My partner really wants to go again this year around Christmas time, but you can never get discounted flights during that period.

Despite my frequent returns, it’s a country I don’t think I could live in. Not unless I was rich! There’s not really a concept of work-life balance and there are still some very “traditional” notions about a women’s place in society. Plus, on a more superficial note, I don’t think I could bear the horrid humid summers, unless I was up north, say Sapporo, or something haha!

Well, another Japan trip booked! That means there will be another shopping post at least after it all. Time to start updating that wishlist! Can’t wait to eat ALL the food! It really “surprises” me that I didn’t really take an interest in the Convenience Store (konbini) food until recent trips with my partner. Each time I visit Japan, I discover something new and things change, even in the same cities. Unfortunately as the years go by, my Japanese level gets worse and worse…

I ended up getting most of my wishlist items, but as usual, always a few impulse items as well. I actually spent a lot this time…

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find Derizum at all! I did find Panna Pompa (only at @cosme affiliated stores), but felt maybe I had too many cleansers at home – not like that stopped purchases in other categories! I decided against the DETClear Peeling Jelly as when I tried testers, the Ettusais one seemed more effective. I also was not able to find the My Melody packaging until the final night, where at that point I felt maybe I shouldn’t get another peeling exfoliator, given that I am only two-thirds through my Cure bottle after first opening it two years ago.

This is a really long one…

Purchases!

Yeah, it’s a lot. Doesn’t even include snacks and other miscellaneous items I bought!

Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner 500ml (Y540*, Daikoku Drug) This was not on my wishlist, but at about a yen per ml, I thought, why not? If I purchased it tax-free, it would have been cheaper than 1 yen per ml. This was one of my last purchases.

Kohaku Hada Lotion 220ml (Y760, Bic Camera) I found a multi-packaged version in a Duty Free store called EdOn in Akihabara that appeared to sell this lotion and refill for also only 760 yen! I was pretty tempted to buy this packaged version as well, but I really do have a glut of toners There’s over 1.5L in this haul alone!

Mentholatum Melano CC Intensive Anti-Spot Essence 20ml (Y854, Yodobashi Akiba) Don’t ask me why I bought 4 of these?! I haven’t tried it once! I think frustration of not being able to find it in a few places meant that when I finally did find it and it was the lowest price I had seen, I went a bit crazy…

Fairydrops Perfect Set (Y2507, Yodobashi Akiba) My most expensive purchase! I wanted to get this last time, but I couldn’t find it. The Perfect Set is in collaboration with an AKB48 member, so trust it to be found in Akihibara, the home of AKB48… You get three products for the price of two, but based on the inactivity of the website, I suspect this brand is probably being discontinued I might have to use these fairly quickly, as these could have been manufactured a while ago… It appears that Fairydrops sales distribution has been severely limited. The online website states that the online shop closed in August 2015, but the products will continue to be sold. Doing a bit of a google, it appears they are being sold online via Rakuten.

Shiseido Baby Powder 50g (Y299, Yodobashi Akiba) Impulse buy as I was tricked by a very prominent display and cheap price. I saw it cheaper at Matsumoto Kiyoshi later for about 270 yen. Turns out this is a white/translucent oil control power. I’ve gotten lazy with oil control products, so I’m not sure how much I will use this! Haha, this item is old school with an initial release date from 1971!

AC Wonder Collect Powder My Melody 10g (Y1500, Matsumoto Kiyoshi) Kinda impulse. I had seen this online before travelling and it was hard to resist the cute characters! The Tuxedo Sam is actually the cutest one, but at the time I went with My Melody. The Hello Kitty looks a bit oddly proportioned.

Malon by TBC x Hello Kitty Aesthetic Mask 5 sheets (Y360, Matsumoto Kiyoshi) Impulse buy. There were a lot of Hello Kitty masks in Japan, but I decided on this one as it was cheap and the packaging design was cute. I wonder if Kitty’s face is printed on the mask?

Bordered by a Hello Kitty fork and spoon from Seria, another 100 yen shop. Both Y108* each.

On the edge of my top picture, you can see some some facial cottons. Japanese cottons are just incomparable to Western cottons in quality and price point. My favourite are Silcot. This time I bought Muji (Y250*), Silcot (Y130*) and a generic Matsumoto Kiyoshi (Y122) brand.

Price disclaimer: Note all prices stated are tax-free and after discounts, unless asterisked. I purchased most products tax-free. All products purchased from Yodobashi Akiba also include 5% VISA credit card discount.

For general conveience, just go to a large Matsumoto Kiyoshi (chain drugstore) for the biggest range. However, as previously mentioned, not all MKs are equal, e.g. differences in range, pricing, samples for sale, discounted multi-packs, etc. For brands you can’t find in the pharmacy chains, you have to go to @cosme, Tokyu Hands or department stores.

If you want to be able try before you buy, note that not all stores have testers. Top places for testers are @cosme and Ainz & Tulpe. Both seemed to offer testers for all nearly all products. Both of these places do tend to sell all their products at full retail price, so less discounts. My tip would be test products here and go somewhere else to purchase, if you can.

I used to love Daiso. I discovered something better this time. Daiso is a 100 yen shop, which means (almost) every item costs 100 yen + tax –> 108 yen. They do have a few more pricier items, but these will be marked. This year, I stayed near a particular Daikoku Drug store which had a “100 yen corner”, where items were actually 100 yen inclusive of tax. Even better, on the 10th of each month, the 100 yen items go down to 90 yen! I was lucky to be there on the 10th December, so despite their 100 yen corner range being quite limited, I still went a bit crazy! If you want some cheap snacks, souvenirs, household items, etc, please do check one out if convenient!

Every Don Quijote is different. They all will stock a base range of products, usually the really popular brands like Rohto Hada labo, Sana Nameraka, Biore, Gatsby, etc. Funnily, with this trip, I almost felt too “old” to shop at Donki. Turns out the layout was a major factor. The Shinjuku shop is especially claustrophobic. The Akihabara location was slightly better.

Not all sunscreen ranges and variants seem to be available in winter. You can easily find the popular Biore Aqua Rich blue tube version and Shiseido Anessa, but if you are after a particular, but less popular variant, I think you have to wait until the weather gets warmer…

Eeep, this haul is over Y10,000! At current exchange rates, this would be like AUD130. Oops! Seems excessive!

Listed prices are official prices inclusive of tax (8%) and listed in yen, unless marked with a “~”. Many products are usually sold at less than official price. The “~” are considered “open price” products and retailers can decide what to price them at.

There’s still 3 months left, so this is most definitely subject to change, with most likely additions!

I don’t have much planned at the moment, but there will definitely be some beauty/skincare related purchases. Unsurprisingly, I have a glut of products from previous trips and a recent haul for the Priceline Skincare Goody Bag, oops!